Abstract

Plastic waste has become a significant source of water pollution worldwide, releasing microplastics (MPs) and hazardous chemicals into aquatic environments. The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence and ecological risk of MPs and phthalates (PAEs) in the surface water of the Tha Dee Sub-River basin in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand. MPs, PAEs, and water quality parameters, including turbidity, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and salinity, were investigated simultaneously at 26 sampling stations. The average number of MPs per liter was 0.5 ± 0.4. Filaments were the most common MPs (59%), and transparent/white was the most prevalent color (51%). Four PAEs were found, with an average total concentration of 25.78 ± 93.87 µg/L, and diethyl phthalate was observed in the highest concentrations. Although there was no association between PAEs and other parameters, there was a significant correlation among particular PAEs (P < 0.05), indicating that they came from the same source. The pollution load index of MPs indicated a minor risk, but PAEs posed a medium risk to fish in the study area. This study’s findings suggest that further research into the sources of PAEs and their contamination of aquatic life is needed.

摘要

塑料垃圾已成为全球水污染的重要来源，将微塑料 (MPs) 和有害化学物质释放到水生环境中。本研究的目的是确定泰国那空是贪玛叻府 Tha Dee 亚河流域地表水中 MPs 和邻苯二甲酸盐 (PAEs) 的发生和生态风险。在 26 个采样站同时研究 MPs、PAEs 和水质参数，包括浊度、pH、电导率、溶解氧和盐度。每升 MP 的平均数量为 0.5 ± 0.4。灯丝是最常见的 MP（59%），透明/白色是最普遍的颜色（51%）。共发现 4 种 PAE，平均总浓度为 25.78 ± 93.87 µg/L，最高浓度的邻苯二甲酸二乙酯。P  < 0.05)，表明它们来自同一来源。MPs的污染负荷指数表明风险较小，但PAEs对研究区域的鱼类构成中等风险。这项研究的结果表明，需要进一步研究 PAE 的来源及其对水生生物的污染。